Same Direction
by EyexLinerxWhore
Summary: A meeting. A break-up. A falling out. Only one person knows her story. He won't tell anyone what's really going on. Everyone needs someone to lean on. Right?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So after a long hiatus, I finally decided to post something new. I've actually been sitting on this one awhile, but I felt like it was about frickin' time I posted something. So here it is. Be kind. I'm rusty (see the title). lol. [: All criticism is welcome, of course. I'll try to update if my muses don't leave me hanging and school isn't so brutal. Anyway, ENJOY. [:_

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**Chapter 1: Winter Vacation**

He was sitting in coffee shop near campus waiting for his 4 friends; 3 of which he knew his whole life. The other one, a person he met in one of his philosophy classes a couple of years ago. Tyler sat at a table in the middle of the room at the shop. He had a cup of coffee, but he had already drank it waiting for everyone to show up. It was nearing the end of Christmas break for everyone. Tyler thought it would be cool to introduce his best friends he grew up with to his newest best friend. He looked down at his watch impatiently.

'Where the hell are they?' He thought impatiently.

The door to the shop opened allowing a 5'5" frame entrance. He knew who it was just from they way she walked. It was Caci. She looked annoyed as she approached the table only being occupied by Mr. Simms.

"Do you have any idea how much I fuckin' hate winter?" She said to him thoroughly annoyed as she took her scarf off.

Tyler smirked, "Go back to California."

"Ha ha. You're so not funny." She shot back with the roll of her dark eyes. She took her heavy black knee length pea coat off. She had on a black and gray stripped sweater with dark blue jeans with black slouch boots. She had a gray beanie on covering her usually 'just rolled out of bed' looking dark hair. He brown eyes were heavily made up with black eyeliner and mascara along with a dark shade of eye shadow.

"Where are your friends?" She asked casually.

"On their way I guess."

"You guess?"

"Yeah..."

"What the hell Tyler? You tell me to be here at a certain place, at a certain time to meet your damn brothers" She air quoted brothers.

"And those fuckers aren't even here? That's some seriously offensive shit to me." She said slumping down in her seat looking at Tyler with a pouty face.

He laughed at her, "You're out of your mind, ya know that?"

That earned him a glare.

"Besides, it's only offensive to you because you don't wake up until after noon on the weekends." He said matter of factly.

"No shit. That's why it's offensive."She folded her arms over her middle.

Tyler just shot her a smirk.

He let his hair grow out and was its natural brown color. Or at least it was brown compared to Caci's hair. He looked like he didn't shave that day. That's how he looked most of the time. He had on a long sleeved black shirt with a white shirt peeking from under the collar. He had a gray pea coat hanging on the back of his chair. He was also wearing a pair of jeans and some boots.

Caci kicked Tyler under the table right as the door to the coffee shop opened to reveal none other than Pogue Parry and Reid Garwin. Caci got up from the table to go order her a drink.

"Hey baby boy!" Was the first thing out of Reid's mouth. They did their little handshake thing.

"Sup Tyler." Pogue said in a upbeat tone.

"Sup fellas." Tyler greeted back.

They all sat down at the table and started chatting. Caci was standing by the high counter waiting for her drink. She was watching the interaction between the boys. She already knew who was who. The blond was Reid. Tyler's other best friend and the long haired hottie was Pogue. There was one missing. They seem to be catching up and getting along pretty well. Caci smiled on the inside at the sight. Tyler really was her only friend on campus. It was nice of him to even want to include her in meeting his friends from his hometown. She had seen pictures of them in Tyler's dorm room. Tyler would tell her the crazy stories about the trouble they would get into growing up.

Caci made her way over to the table. She sat back in her seat across from Tyler.

"Hello there. And you are?" Blond ambition asked.

"Not interested." Caci shot at him as she took a sip of her hot tea.

"Ouch." Pogue chuckled.

The door opened again and in walked a tall dark haired guy. He sat at the table to the right of Caci. It was Caleb. The guys exchanged hellos. Everyone was quiet for a minute or so.

"So who's your friend?" Caleb asked Tyler.

"This is Acacia Simon." Tyler told them all.

"Caci." She said as she offered Caleb her hand. Caleb took her hand and shook it.

"Caleb."

"So that's your name." Reid said triumphantly.

"You're a quick one." She retorted. Reid gave her a short glare. Caci picked up her mug of tea and took sip her eyes landing on Tyler's blue ones. He was warning her to play nice. She gave him a smug smirk, but went right back to messing with Reid.

"So... I heard you're the playboy of the bunch." Caci said leaning slightly to her left.

Reid's ear perked up at that.

"You heard right." He said cockily. Caleb and Pogue looked between Caci and Reid.

"I thought you said you weren't interested." Reid said looking at her.

Caci didn't supply a response. She sat back in her chair and watched the boys.

"You are interested, aren't you?" Reid asked her with his usual smirk.

Caci scooted to the edge of her seat and leaned into Reid. He could feel her warm breath on his skin.

"Not even on your best day." She whispered.

She sat back in her chair. Reid looked shocked. Caleb and Pogue were trying not to laugh. Tyler sat shaking his head.

"Do you guys want coffee?" Tyler offered trying to get the attention off of Caci and Reid. Mostly Reid.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Caleb said as he and Pogue went over to the counter.  
"I'm gonna go get a muffin or something." Caci said as she followed the other guys.

"Where the hell did you find her?" Reid asked his best friend.

Tyler laughed. "She was in my very first philosophy classes."

"Philosophy? She's one of those girls?" Reid asked scrunching up his nose.

"If you mean, an intelligent girl, yeah." Tyler said with a smirk.

"Hot and smart isn't a key combination for me." Reid said glancing at the counter.

"So, have you nailed her?" His icy blue eyes landing on Tyler.

Tyler choked on the air he was breathing. "What?!"

"You heard me baby boy. Have you slept with her?" Reid asked again.

Tyler frowned at him. "Why don't you ask her?"

Reid got quiet. Caci was approaching the table again.

"Can I borrow him for a minute?" Caci asked as she grabbed Tyler's arm pulling him towards the mini library in the coffee shop.

"Hi Caci." Tyler said with humor shining in his eyes.

She gave him a half assed grin.

"Can I tell him about the sorority thing?" There was a pleading in her brown eyes.

"Why would you wanna do that?" Tyler whispered.

"Because, he thinks he's hot shit. I bet he hasn't hooked up with almost half of the biggest sorority on his campus." She said matter of factly.

Tyler just looked at her. Caci smiled at him and walked away.

Caleb, Pogue, and Reid were sitting at the table catching up. Reid had gotten himself a coffee in the two minutes that Tyler was talking to Caci.

The group sat drinking coffee, chatting, and remeniscing about the high school days.

"Remember the weekend before senior year started" Tyler started. "and Reid used that cheesy pick up line on Sarah?"

All three boys started laughing. Reid pursed his lips together and rolled his eyes.

"What cheesy pick up line?" Caci asked looking around the table.

"Something about his grandma's name being Sarah." Caleb said. Eyes shining with laughter.

"Please tell me that didn't work." She said placing her mug back on the table.

"It didn't that time. She started dating Caleb." Tyler said.

"Wait, what do you mean that time? It's worked before?" Caci was perplexed.

"How do you think I became a playboy?" Reid asked her.

"What school did you guys go to again?" Caci asked knowing full well what school they went to.

"Spenser Academy." Caleb said looking at her confused.

"Hmm..." She said as she took a sip of her tea.

"Why?" Pogue asked.

"You went to one of the post prestigious private schools on the east coast and there were girls that fell for that crap?" She asked.

"Yup. All the time." Reid said with a huge cocky grin.

"Were they all retarded?" Caci shot at him.

Pogue and Tyler started laughing hysterically. Caleb almost choked on his coffee. Reid sat rolling his eyes again.

"I don't do retards." Reid said stubbornly.

"Obviously you do if they fell for that." Caci said with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah." Reid said trying to dismiss her comment.

Caleb stopped laughing as he reached into his coat pocket. He looked at his phone.

"Excuse me." He said as he got up from the table and headed outside.

"So how's the panty raid been since you started college?" Caci asked curiously.

"For you to not be interested in me, you sure in the hell are nosy." Reid said glancing at her nonchalantly. Pogue and Tyler watched the exchange between the two.

"You don't have to tell me, but if you went to school here you'd be put to shame on your playboy status." Caci said with a shrug.

"Is that so?" Reid asked smugly.

"Yeah, it is."

"What has this guy done that's so impressive?" That came from Pogue.

Caci pursed her lips together as Tyler reached for a magazine on another table.

"This guy has slept with half of the biggest sorority on campus." Caci said looking between the both of them.

Reid's mouth hit the floor as Pogue's eyebrow shot up in surprise.

"You got anything on that?" Pogue asked Reid.

"Nothing." Reid said looking at the older man.

Caci laughed then. "Some playboy."

"Hey, it's harder in college than in a private high school. They aren't as naïve, but they're still easy." Reid shot back with a smirk.

Caci smirked back.

Caleb came back inside looking just as he did when he first entered the coffee shop. He looked stressed and sad. The guys watched him make his way back over to the table.

"Sorry about that." He got out before he sat back down. No one said anything until Caci piped up.

"You alright?"

He gave her a warm smile that didn't meet his eyes. That was all she got. She could obviously tell there was something wrong, but she had just met Caleb. He wasn't exactly going to tell her what was wrong.

"What the hell is wrong with you assholes?" She asked the other guys sitting around the table. They all just looked at her. She rolled her eyes at them. Still no one was talking. Caci looked between the four of them. They all seemed to be concentrating really hard on something. She stood up abruptly, grabbing her scarf and coat. She started putting her coat on as the rest of the group stood up and started doing the same thing. She walked outside into the freezing winter air. Tyler was the first one out.

"Are you alright?" He asked looking down at her. She just shot her eyes to her left.

"Sorry about that you guys." Caleb said joining them.

"It's cool dude."

"Hopefully next time your phone rings it won't be so awkward." Caci said jokingly.

Caleb smiled a real smile then. "It was nice meeting you." He had his ungloved hand out for a handshake. Caci slid her hand in his.

"It was nice meeting you too."

"Later man." Caleb said to Tyler as they touched knuckles.

Caleb walked away in the direction of his mustang looking down in his hand. He fought the urge to turn around to look at Caci. She slipped him a piece of paper with her number on it and a note in big, yet girly writing that said, 'Just in case'. He put the piece of paper in his pocket.

Pogue and Reid made it out of the shop. Pogue was reaching to smack Reid upside the head. They were both laughing.

"What's so funny?" Caci asked them.

Pogue glanced at Reid.

"I just got coffee girl Morgan's number." He said cockily.

Caci rolled her eyes and shook her head. The guys made plans to hang out again, but doing something more fun.

"Bye Caci. It was nice meeting you." Pogue said giving her a huge unexpected hug.

"Later baby boy." He said with a knuckle touch.

"Later Caci." Reid said with a wink. She flipped him off.

Reid nugded Tyler as he walked off to Pogue's car.

"I thought you said he rode a motorcycle." Caci asked Tyler as they walked towards his hummer.

"There's this thing called ice..." Tyler started, but got a punch in the arm.

"That's not nice Acacia Blake Simon." Tyler said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Who says I'm nice?" Caci asked him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He leaned down, kissing his best friend on the lips gently.

"See, you're nice. Otherwise you wouldn't have let me do that." He said placing his hands on her hips.

"Oh, so I'm nice because we use to be together?"

"That and you still want me." Tyler said teasingly.

"You sure about that?" She was challenging him.

"No, I'm not." Tyler said letting her go completely. Caci stood there looking at him confused. He kissed her on her beanie clad forehead then walked to the other side of his truck. He got in, started it up and drove off. Caci walked off towards her black Jeep Grand Cherokee.

She and Tyler use to be a couple during their freshman year, but Tyler broke it off. He said he wanted to get the "full college experience". Lots of unmeaningful sex is a big part of college to some. Caci was glad to let him go. She wasn't ready for another relationship anyway. Here they were three years later, still pretending to be together when no one was around.

'This so isn't healthy.' Caci thought as she pulled her jeep out from its spot near the curb.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Wake Up Call**

There was a horrid sound coming from somewhere in Caci's room. She was dead asleep when the horrible sound started.

"Shit." Escaped her lips as she searched in the dark of her room for her nightstand. She found it and slapped the top of her alarm clock. The sound stopped. She turned over to go back to sleep when the noise started again. Frustrated, she kicked her covers off of her turning from her stomach to her side. She saw her phone lighting up and dancing around the nightstand. She looked at the clock that she slapped earlier, noting that it said 2:00 a.m.

'Who in the hell?' She thought.

She grabbed the contraption looking at an unfamiliar number. She answered anyway.  
"Hello?"

"Caci?" Said the deep voice on the other end.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"It's Caleb."

She relaxed a bit. "Hey. What's up?" She asked him, sleep still apparent in her raspy voice.

"Sorry for waking you. I..." He started.

"It's alright. I said whenever."

"Thank you." Caci could hear the smile on his face.

"I'd say anytime, but that'd be redundant." She turned to lie on her back with her eyes closed.

"So yeah... I didn't know who else to call."

"I'm all ears." Caci told him.

"Sarah's gone." He said plainly.

"Gone, like dead gone or..." Caci trailed off.

Caleb chuckled, "Gone like she waited for me to fall asleep to leave."

"Maybe she needed some woman things."

"At 2 in the morning?" Caleb asked.

"Good point."

"She's not answering my calls either."

"Well shit. I got nothing." Caci told him.

"I don't know what her deal is. One day everything is good then the next she's a total bitch."

"It's a woman's right Caleb."

He chuckled again.

"But, she knows how I am ever since the incident back in high school." Caleb said somberly.

"Then you need to talk to her. End of story. Tell her you don't like what she's doing."

"Do you honestly think that'll go over well?"

"Honestly? No, but you gotta start somewhere. Besides, if she loves you the way I hear she does, you don't have anything to worry about." Caci said matter of factly.

Caleb sighed.

"Cale?" Caci asked.

"Cale? Where the hell did that come from?"

Caci laughed. "Just a little something I whipped up. Don't you like it?"

He laughed then. "Interesting. That's all I'll say."

"If it makes you feel any better, you can call me Blake."

"Blake?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Why Blake? It sounds like a snotty rich kid's name."

"Jeez, thanks Caleb. I'll be sure to give my parents the message of the choosing of my middle name." Caci said laughing into the phone.

"I'm so sorry." He laughed. "Blake's cooler than my middle name."

"More than likely. What's your middle name?"

"William."

Caci laughed hysterically. "Yeah dude, you've got me beat by a long shot."

Caleb chuckled.

"So, there's Tyler James Simms, Caleb William Danvers... and?" Caci asked him.

"Pogue Nicholas Parry and Reid Anthony Garwin." Caleb told her.

"No fuckin' way! Reid's initials are RAG. No wonder he's such a pain in the ass." She stated sarcastically. It earned her a huge laugh on the other end from Caleb. The pair talked for another hour before Caleb had to go.

"Sarah's back." His whole tone had changed.

"Alright. Well, talk to her. Let me know how it goes."

"Thanks again Cace." He said.

"No problem. Later Caleb." She said with a small smile.

"Bye." He hung up.

Caci draped her arm across her eyes. Her mind drifted to Caleb and their conversation. She smiled. Tall, dark, handsome, and heartbroken? That could be a combination for disaster. Caci couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew she was attracted to Caleb.

'And for what you stupid girl? Because he has a sexy voice and a dumb girlfriend?' Caci mentally scolded herself.

Her phone went off again making her jump.

She looked at the screen seeing an old picture of her and Tyler pop up.

"Hey Ty." She answered the phone.

"Hey. Can I come over?" He asked her.

"Yeah... Sure. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just can't sleep."

"Use the spare." Caci told him.

"Ok, I'll be there in a few."

"Mmhmm." Caci hung up.

'Tyler.' She thought. 'What the hell is going on with him?' The kiss outside of the coffee shop was... New. Tyler never gave her any affection in public unless it was a simple friendly hug. Even when they were together he never went further than holding hands or being in each others arms. Maybe he was growing a pair and not giving a shit about what people thought of him dating a girl like Caci. She wanted to know.

"Caci?" His deep voice called out.

"Bedroom!" She yelled back.

Her bedroom door was cracked slightly. The door creaked when Tyler pushed it open to come inside the room. He pushed the door shut as quietly as he could. Caci just laid there on the right side of the bed watching Tyler's outline move around. She felt the bed sink down a bit when he sat down to take off his shoes. He threw the covers back and climbed in the bed. He was being modest in a pair of sweats with no shirt. He usually just slept in boxers.

Caci reached out to touch him expecting to touch his arm. She touched his bare back instead. He didn't respond to her barely there touch. She slid over closer to him and as if on instinct alone Tyler turned to lay on his back. Caci laid her head on his chest as he wrapped his around her.

When Tyler Simms and Acacia Simon met it was an instant attraction. She was gorgeous to him; her dark hair and eyes with the face of a model. She always looked like she had just walked from a rock show or something the way she dressed and how her hair looked.

The attraction was the same for Caci. His striking blue eyes took her breath away. He had an innocent preppy look to him, but his eyes told a different story. Tyler's intelligence and his slight bad boy air captivated her. She never thought she'd actually become friends with him, let alone become his girlfriend.

She laid on his chest listening to his heartbeat. She knew deep down that she wasn't ready to be in a relationship again when she was with Tyler. There was a reason she left California to come to school out east. There was a reason he left her for a full college experience. He was ready for the real deal. A girl to take home to meet his family and hang out with his friends; she was too busy running from him scared and holding on to something she still couldn't let go of. He told her he wanted the full college experience, but the more Caci thought about the situation, it boiled down to him wanting things she wasn't willing to give him out of fear.

Tyler was fast asleep. He had been stroking Caci's hair absently, but he had stopped. She sat up and tried to see Tyler's sleeping face in the dark. She climbed out of the bed and went into her small living room area. She wasn't going back to sleep. She sat on the couch in complete silence until the sun came up. She walked back in the bedroom and grabbed a sketch pad, even though she couldn't draw. She threw it on the counter and fixed herself a bowl of cereal. She pretended to just be waking up and having breakfast when Tyler entered the room.

"Morning." She shot over her shoulder.

"Morning." He responded groggily.

Her brown eyes trailed his body as he walked to the small kitchen area. He was rubbing his face and messing up his hair even more than it already was.

'Why are you such a chicken shit?' Caci thought, turning her full attention to her cereal.

"Want some coffee?" He asked as he was pulling down a mug and a filter.

Caci looked at him confused.

She shook her head realizing what he asked, "No, that shit makes you stop growing."

Tyler turned to look at her with a smirk on his face. "Are you calling me short?" He accused jokingly.

"Yes. I am. You are extremely short." She said sarcastically.

"So, what I lack in stature, I make up in other places."

Caci was scrambling for a comeback, but came up with nothing. Her mouth wouldn't work properly anyway. It was busy hanging open at his comment.

Tyler chuckled to himself as he started the coffee maker. He turned to look at Caci again and saw her mouth still hanging open.  
"Cace, close your mouth."

She blinked at him, but closed her mouth. "When did you become such a pervert?" She asked him hesistantly.

He laughed then. "I've always been a pervert. Don't you know who my best friend is?"

"True." She said nodding her head.

"Now Ms. Simon, I have a question for you."

She looked into his baby blues and lifted her chin signaling to him he could ask.

"Why is Caleb calling you at 4 in the morning?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Driving Adventure**

"What?" Caci said as she stared at Tyler blankly.

"Why is Caleb calling you at 4 in the morning?" He repeated as he held her phone up.

She walked over to him and snatched the phone away.

"Why were you going through my phone?" She asked in an angry tone.

"I didn't go through it. It woke me up. So I checked to see who was calling and to my surprise it was Caleb." He said as he folded his arms over his midsection.

"How do you know it was your Caleb?" She asked suspiciously.

"How many Calebs do you know?" He shot back at her.

She rolled her brown eyes at him and stepped away from him.

"Caci…" He called after her as he watched her walk back into her room and shut the door.

'At least she didn't slam the door.' He thought.

Tyler turned back to making himself a cup of coffee.

'Why the hell is Caleb calling her? I know it was him.' Tyler thought as he heard her door open again. He looked over his shoulder to see a really pissed off Caci coming towards him.

"You didn't go through my phone?" She said from the other side of the bar.

"No." He said flatly.

"Don't lie to me Tyler." Her hands we're in fists at her side.

"Look, relax. I got curious. I called back just to make sure I wasn't imagining things." He didn't close the space between them. He knew better than that.

She glared at him and before either of them knew it she had thrown the phone at him. It broke into pieces as it hit the refrigerator.

"I don't see how anything I do is any of your business. You wanted out, remember? You don't have the right to answer my phone or question who I talk to." She was yelling now.

"What's your problem?! Big fuckin' deal, I called him back. You don't think it's my place, but he is one of my best friends. I think I should know why he's calling my ex at 4 in the morning." He yelled back.

Caci let out a bitter laugh."He called at 4 in the morning because I told him he could. Happy now?"

Tyler looked at her shocked.

"What's the matter?" She asked mockingly.

"How did he even get your number?" He asked seriously.

"How do you think he got my number?" She retorted.

"Why…" He started but she cut him off.

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!" She shouted and she slammed her fists on the countertop.

She turned to walk away, but Tyler grabbed her by her arms and pulled her back into his chest. She struggled against him to no avail.

"Just tell me." He whispered in her ear as he loosened his grip on her arms.

She laughed at him as she looked at her arms. They were always rough with each other and this time was no different.

"Why Ty? Are you jealous?" She asked him as she kept her eyes trained on the floor.

He didn't respond.

She laughed again, but she looked him in his blue eyes. He noticed she was trying not to cry.

"You don't get to play by different rules. This game doesn't work like that." She said as she blinked back tears.

"This isn't a game." He said as he took a step forward.

She put her hand up and shook her head to stop him from coming any closer.

"Yes it is. Tyler can do what he wants, while he has Caci sitting on the back burner. Tyler can fuck whoever he wants and he doesn't have to explain a goddamn thing to Caci no matter how many times she asks him what's going on. Fuck that. I don't have to tell you shit." She said as she wiped away the tears.

Tyler stood there defeated. He watched her walk back into her room. She slammed the door this time. When she came back out of her room, she had on baggy sweats, a leather jacket and black sneakers. She had her wallet, car keys in hand as she left Tyler in the apartment sitting on the couch with his head hanging.

Caci made her way to her jeep. She slammed the door then slammed her fists on the steering wheel. She started the jeep and spun her tires trying to leave the apartment before Tyler decided to come find her. She made it to the coffee shop in record time. She waved at Morgan, but headed to the pay phone in the back of the shop near the restrooms. She grabbed some loose change out of her wallet, but stopped short when she realized she hadn't memorized Caleb's phone number. She rolled her eyes and slammed the receiver down. She tilted her head back and took a deep breath. She hurried out of the coffee shop and just started driving. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't want to be where she was.

After almost an hour of driving, she made her way off the highway and entered Ipswich. She knew where she wanted to go but had no idea about how to get there. She kept driving until she turned down a side street and saw some massive houses.  
"Whoa." She said out loud as she made her way up the street. She saw Caleb's mustang parked in the driveway of one of the houses. She pulled over across the street and stared at the house. As if on cue, the front door opened and Caleb walked out. She killed her engine and he looked in the direction of her jeep. She hopped out of the car as quick as she could before he walked back in the house.

"Caleb!" She yelled from the middle of the street.

He smirked a little bit at the sight of Caci standing at his front gate. He ducked back inside to buzz the gate open. She walked through the gate and started up the long driveway. Caleb met her half way.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as they entered the house.

She looked at him sheepishly and shrugged.

He looked at her confused.

"I just started driving and I thought I'd come explore Ipswich."

Caleb smirked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"And the big shiny gate in front of your house caught my attention too." She said jokingly. He laughed a little bit.

"Can I get you anything? Water, coffee, juice…?" He offered.

"No thank you. I'm good." She said with a small smile.

He nodded then led her to the den. She tried to pretend not to be impressed with the hugeness of Casa de la Danvers.

"Are you okay?" He asked as she sat next to him on a deep red plush leather couch.

She didn't answer immediately.

"I called you last night at an absurd hour, but you didn't pick up. Then someone called me back, but didn't say anything." He told her.

"I know." She said plainly.

"You do?"

She nodded. "Hey, how much do you know about Tyler and I?" She asked as she turned to face him.

"Not much. I think I heard that you two use to date, but that's as much as I've been told." He said with a wrinkle of confusion in his forehead.

"Tyler's the one that called you back last night." She said plainly.

The crease in his forehead deepened. "So, you're still with Tyler?" He sounded slightly disappointed.

"No… I'm not with Tyler… Not in a relationship anyway." She said as she looked down at her hands.

"Caci, you're confusing the hell out of me." He said with a hint of laughter in his voice as he looked at her. He resisted the urge to make her look at him. She could feel his eyes on her immediately. She looked up at him, but not in the eyes.

"Me and Tyler use to date. After we broke up, we would still sleep over at each other's places… And stuff." She told him hoping he would get the picture.

Caleb made a little 'o' with his mouth. "You never did answer my question. Are you okay?" He turned her face towards his. She looked him in the eyes.

"No. I got in an argument with Tyler about your 4 a.m. phone call." She said flatly.

"Sorry about that. I just needed someone to talk to. You're the only one that knows what's going on with me." He said shifting slightly.

"It's okay. He had no business messing with my phone anyway. How are things anyway?" She asked picking lint off of her sweats.

"Over." Was all he said.

Caci's head popped up and looked at him. "What happened?"

_***Flashback***_

_"Where have you been?" Caleb asked from the darkness of the living room of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend of three years, Sarah Wenham._

_"Jesus Christ, Caleb. You scared me." She said with a laugh._

_She turned on the lights to see where Caleb was sitting. He was staring at her._

_"Where were you Sarah?" He asked again._

_"I just needed some fresh air." She told him as she walked towards him and tried to kiss him on the cheek, but he jerked away._

_"Bullshit. I woke up at 1:30 in the morning and you were gone. So, where were you? And be honest this time." He told her._

_"You're not my father Caleb. I can do what I want, when I want. I don't have to answer to you." She said, her whole attitude changing._

_"What the hell is that?" He asked getting up from the arm chair he was sitting in. There was a purplish colored mark on her neck._

_She reflexively put her hand over the mark. "Caleb…" She started._

_"You're cheating on me?" His voice was eerily calm._

_She was silent._

_"SARAH!" His voice boomed which made her jump._

_"YES!" She yelled back at him. She immediately covered her mouth and turned her blue eyes up at Caleb._

_His face fell. He ran his hand up his face and through his hair. He turned from her abruptly and punched a wall._

_"Caleb…" She said in a small voice._

_"What?!" He turned around quickly._

_Sarah was holding back tears._

_"Oh don't start that shit." He said as he walked away from her. She stood there in the same spot until Caleb came back with a duffle bag. He had put on a shirt with the sweats he was wearing and some jogging shoes. He grabbed his keys out of the bowl and walked past Sarah and out of the door without a word.  
**  
*End Flashback*  
**_

Caci sat looking at him after he told her what happened.

"Wow…" She started. Caleb looked at her. "What a bitch." She finished.

Caleb held back a laugh. "I'm horrible for even thinking that was funny." He scolded himself.

"It was meant to be funny. There's nothing wrong with laughing. I'm sorry it ended like that though." She told him as she played with his hair.

"I just wish I would've figured it out sooner. I gave her as much attention as she needed, spent time with her, took her out… I did and gave her everything she could ever want." He said beating himself up.

"Caleb, knock it off or I'm gonna kick your ass myself." Caci said as she squeezed his shoulder.

That earned her a small smile. They talked about other less dramatic things like spring semester and plans for spring break.

"So, you're going to head back home for spring break?" Caleb asked looking up at her.

"I'm thinking about it. I haven't seen my mom and dad in a couple of years." She said while Caleb traced the lines inside of her hand with his finger.

"I think my mom would have my ass if I didn't come see her every weekend. I think she's pretty thrilled that I'm moving back in." He said with a chuckle.

"You're letting her keep the apartment?" Caci asked.

Caleb turned his head to look at Caci with a slightly amused look on his face.

"I guess I am. She could always just go back home, but I'm sure she needs a place to stay. And I don't want anything to do with her."

"Oh kay…" Caci said drawing out the word.

"Shit." Caleb said abruptly and jumped up to leave room. Leaving Caci sitting there confused.


	4. Chapter 4

_It's been awhile. My muses left me stranded in the middle of nowhere. The little bastards. They came back long enough for me to whip this little jewel up. Sorry in advance; it's a short one. I still haven't quite figured out how I want this to go, but we shall see. I'll try to get cracking on Chapter 5 as soon as possible. You can cause physical bodily harm if I take too long. R&R. -- (Feeling very much more like) **Brandi** (nowadays)._

* * *

**Chapter 4: Peanut Butter Swack**

Caleb walked down the hallway from the den into the sitting room when he could usually find his mother. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Pogue's number.

"What's up Caleb?" His gravelly voice answered.

"We need to have a meeting." Caleb told him.

"A meeting about what?" Pogue asked confused.

"I'll explain when you guys get here. Can you call Reid and Tyler?" Caleb said shortly.

"Uh, yeah sure man. What time should we be over?"

"Um, 6 is good for me." Caleb said as he looked at the grandfather clock.

"Alright, I'll pass the word." Pogue said.

"Thanks man."

"Later."

He slid his phone shut and put it back in his pocket. He made his way back from the foyer and into the den to see Caci stretched out across the couch. He looked down at her as she looked up at him. She had a smile on her face. He smiled back.

"Oh my. You have lovely teeth." Caci said as she sat up. Caleb looked at her with a confused and amused look on his face while he walked to sit at the other of the couch.

"What? No one has ever told you have nice teeth?" Caci asked as he put her legs across his lap. He looked at her trying not to smile.

"It's just really awkward when an attractive girl only notices my teeth, but thanks." He said with a half smile, purposely not showing his pearly whites.

"So, what was the emergency teléfono call about?" She stretched out some as she asked while she lay her head back on the arm of the couch and closed her eyes. Caleb turned to look at her slowly, but noticed her eyes were closed.

"Uh, I just have some things to take care of. It slipped my mind." He said absently. Caci opened one brown eye and looked at him.

"Covenant business?"

His head whipped around to look at her fast enough that he should've gotten whiplash. Caci looked at him amused.

"How do you know about the Covenant?" He asked her seriously.

"Tyler told me some story about you guys practically being Ipswich royalty and all the myths that people have come up with about your families."

She paused to gauge his reaction. When she didn't get much of one she continued.

"One of the myths being that, the four of you have formed a covenant of silence so that no one but you guys' families know about your true ancestries and such." She finished.

"Tyler told you that?"

"Nah. I just made it up. Some bullshit I read in a book." She said sarcastically as she looked at Caleb and he frowned a bit.

"Hey, lighten up." She said as she tossed a pillow at him.

Caleb kept her occupied until she felt she had overstayed her welcome at his house. Especially showing up unexpected.

"So, what are you gonna do about your phone?" Caleb asked her.

"I'll probably just go buy a new one. No way to really explain throwing a phone at a person out of anger and have insurance cover it." She said half joking. She even spared Caleb a smirk. He could tell just by looking at her that she was trying to hide her emotions.

"Good point." He said after thinking about the situation for a few seconds.

The room had become very quiet without either of them talking. Caleb was staring at her intently while she sat on the couch leaning forward with her elbows and resting on her thighs, head kind of hanging looking at her hands. It reminded him of him when there were a lot of things on his mind. He moved a little bit closer to her and her head whipped up to look at him. He lifted the corner of his mouth in a half smirk.

"Are you hungry?" He asked plainly. She looked confused for a split second.

"A little bit. Are you treating?" She asked as her held a mischievous glimmer. It looked a lot like the one he usually saw in Reid's eyes.

"No." He stated as her face fell a little. "But, we can whip some stuff up in the kitchen." He told her as he stood and offered her his hand. She accepted it and he lead her down the hallway.

"Are you a culinary God too?" She said sarcastically.

Caleb chuckled. "A culinary God? No. Can I cook? Yes." He said with a smile. Caci raised an eyebrow at him. They were in the kitchen and they were still holding hands.

"So what do you want?" Caleb asked as he finally let go of her hand. Caci shrugged at him and leaned against the granite counter top near the sink. Caleb grabbed a loaf of bread, some grape jelly and peanut butter.

"Wow, peanut butter and jelly?" Caci asked amused.

"You got a problem with it?" Caleb shot back jokingly.

"Works for me." She said as she held her hands up in mock surrender.

"Good." He said as he turned around to spread the jelly on the bread.

Caci pushed herself off the counter she was leaning on, walked over to Caleb, and stood beside him. She glanced up at Caleb who wasn't paying attention to her. She dipped her fingers in the peanut butter and momentarily looked at her fingers as if she were inspecting them.

"Hey Caleb." She said as he turned to look at her. She smeared the butter on his face; across his mouth partly on his chin.

He had a look of shock on his face. Caci was trying not to laugh at the sight in front of her. Caleb was holding back a smile.

"You are so cleaning this up." He said as he pointed to his face.

Caci stuck her fingers in her mouth one at a time, eating the rest of the peanut butter off of them.

"Why don't you just smear it on that piece of bread?" She asked as eh pointed to the counter.

Caleb didn't say anything but before Caci could react, she was sitting on the counter she was leaning against earlier. Caleb's face was centimeters from hers. He looked her in her brown eyes for a split second. Caci closed the small space between them. On instinct, Caleb pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Her hands went to his face then his neck. Her tongue probed at his mouth begging for entry. He obliged as he wrapped her legs around his waist. They were feverish. She gripped the back of his neck kissing him hard. He groaned against her lips which made her smile.  
They broke apart to come up for air after she smiled. He leaned his forehead against hers. She was running her fingers through his hair as she unwrapped her legs.

"Look. All clean. Well… Almost." She said in a raspy voice. She grabbed a paper towel and wiped away the of the peanut butter.

"Thanks." Caleb said sheepishly.

Caci raised an eyebrow and smirked at Caleb.

"Are you gonna finish making that?" She asked as she peeked over his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder at the half made sandwich sitting on the counter, then back at Caci. He leaned his forehead back against hers which made her smile.

"I'm not very hungry anymore."


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, I'm finally back. I'm so incredibly sorry for keeping everyone waiting. I had my life start imitating my art and I stopped writing. That being said, in all of my stories, there's something in there that I've experienced or have felt. There's a little bit of me in my stories. But now I'm trying to get back to having my creative juices flow. I'm realizing that I feel a whole lot better when I do. On another note, my homepage is now my tumblr. It's on my profile page if you want to check it out and if you dig it, you should follow me. And as per usual, read and review. I hope everyone enjoys. It's kind of a filler, but kind of not. I don't know. Just let me know what you guys think. OH! And I'm going to figure out how to do a poll on here because after all of this time, I still don't know exactly how I want this to end when I get there. Thank you guys so much for your patience. On with the story.  


* * *

_

**Chapter 5: Insert Clever Title Here**

After their peanut butter filled make out session in the kitchen, Caleb lead them back to the den where they sat and watched more tv. Caci had her feet propped up on Caleb when his phone went off.

"Shit." He mumbled. Caci looked at him.

"What's up?" She asked, feet still in his lap.

"I forgot the guys were coming over." He told her.

She frowned slightly, but smirked at him.

"Do you need me to go?" She asked.

He didn't get a chance to answer as the doorbell rang.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said chuckling a bit.

Caleb gave her apologetic brown eyes then walked her to the door as the person on the other side rang the bell again.

"I'm coming!" Caleb's voice boomed.

"What the hell dude?" Caleb said as he yanked the door open.

"I was expecting to see Reid…" He said as he eyed Tyler.

"Surprise!" Tyler said sarcastically as he stepped inside the house.

Caleb rolled his eyes but kept the door open as Caci stepped from slightly behind Caleb to walk between him and Tyler.

"I'll see ya later." She told Caleb as she walked out the open door. She threw Tyler a glance then made her way down the stairs of the porch.

Caleb couldn't read the look on Tyler's face. He didn't have much time to since Tyler walked away and towards the kitchen. Caleb followed suit and grabbed the paper towel with the peanut butter on it and threw it away.

"Honey, I'm home!" Echoed in the foyer.

Pogue walked in behind Reid and gave him a slight shove with a smirk as if to tell him he was retarded.

"Hey fellas." Caleb said as he came out of the kitchen with Tyler tailing him.

"What's the big meeting about?" Reid asked cutting to the chase.

"Sarah." Caleb said plainly.

"Figures." The other guy said in unison.

Caleb rolled his eyes again.

"Well, we've gotta do something. She knows our secret." He said as he flopped down on the couch in the formal living room, the others following suit finding other places to sit.

"We could just kill her and have it be done." Reid said dismissively.

Caleb gave him a stern look.

"What? Who would really miss her?" Reid asked.

"Her family would, jackass." Pogue spoke up.

"Whatever. It would cut out the hassle." Reid said with a huff.

"We can't go around killing everyone that knows." Tyler said. "That's a lot of bodies."

"Who else knows?" Caleb asked looking at them.

"Caci." Tyler said darkly.

"You told her?" Reid and Pogue said in unison.

Caleb looked at Tyler.

'Caci told me that all Tyler told her were the stories that were in the books you could find in the library. Maybe she didn't want me to know that she already knew. That would be weird exposing something like that since we did just meet.' Caleb thought to himself.

"She was my girlfriend. She deserved to know." Tyler said defensively.

"Baby Boy had it bad." Reid said teasingly.

"What do you mean, 'had'?" Pogue mumbled.

Reid quickly glanced at Pogue with an amused smirk on his face.

"So, what's your big idea All Mighty Leader?" Reid said relaxing back in the armchair Caleb's mom would normally occupy.

"Check the books. See if there's any kind of binding spell that I can rework to make it effect her memory." Caleb said while rubbing the back of his neck.

Reid looked at him then got out of the chair.

"Good luck." He said as he walked past Caleb and patted him on the shoulder.

"That's all you have to say?" Caleb called after him.

"Yeah. I get it. You didn't want us to worry if we felt someone using." Reid said nonchalantly.

"Stay the fuck out of my head Reid." Caleb said as he heard Reid laugh and walk out of the house.

Pogue was holding back a smile.

"So… Are we still on for Mexico?"

Caleb's head whipped up to look at Pogue.

"You didn't forget did you?" Pogue asked.

"No. I didn't forget. Just hasn't been at the forefront of my mind lately." He said honestly.

Pogue nodded.

"I wonder why." Tyler said from where he was standing.

Pogue looked at him and then back at Caleb. He could feel the tension between the two of them.

"You let me know if we're actually still going?" Pogue said as he started walking towards the door not even waiting for a response.

Once Tyler heard the door close he spoke up.

"What the hell was Caci doing here?" Tyler asked with anger in his voice.

Caleb looked at him. Should he tell him what happened between him and Caci in the kitchen? Should he tell him that he knows what happened between him and Caci that morning? Should he tell Tyler what an asshole he thought he was for treating Caci the way he had been? He decided against all of that.

"She was driving around town and somehow made her way here. She said the shiny gate caught her attention." Caleb almost recited to Tyler.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"That's what she said when I saw her." Caleb said smiling on the inside at the thought of Caci being distracted by something shiny.

"Why does it matter what she was doing here anyway?" Caleb shot at him.

"I don't know. I just wasn't expecting to see my ex-girlfriend at one of my best friend's house. Especially since they don't really know each other."

Caleb glared at Tyler.

"I think she just needed someone to talk to. It was just a coincidence that she decided to end up in Ipswich and in the neighborhood."

"A coincidence? You didn't text her your address and tell her to come over?" Tyler said sarcastically.

"How the hell could I do that since she threw her phone at you before she even got here?" Caleb shot back.

Rage passed through Tyler's baby blues. Caci had run to Caleb because they were fighting.

"You better not touch her Danvers. Don't even think about her, okay?" Tyler said stepping closer to Caleb.

"Who the hell are you? You're not even acting like yourself. You screwed up Tyler! You did this to yourself. I didn't ask for her to come to me. She did that on her own. She's an adult and she makes her own decisions. If you have a problem with that, you take it up with her." Caleb said as he turned and left the room leaving Tyler sitting there with his thoughts.

'This is my fault, but I don't have a reason to say anything to her; except to stay away from my friends. I don't think I could take it if she ended up falling for Caleb. I still love her. '

"Dammit!" Tyler shouted before he headed out of Caleb's house to his Hummer. He didn't know how he was going to make things right with Caci. He didn't know how she felt about Caleb and after the fight they had, he'd probably never know. He could really use this upcoming Spring Break even though he was going to be with the guys, there was bound to be a bunch of girls that would take his mind off of Caci.


	6. Chapter 6

Alright, I'm back again! This one is kind of a filler chapter and it's kind of long. I wrote this out today and typed up just so I could post it tonight. It was 6 pages typed and a little less than 15 pages handwritten. Uh some notes, the part at the beginning of this chapter in _italics_ is a dream and the _**bold italics**_ are texts between Caci and Tyler. And 'The Vampire Diaries' is about to come on, but I thought I'd post this before I got completely distracted. And I only own Caci and her parents. I'll post the pics of her parents and their houses when and if I ever get a new charger for my laptop! **ENJOY! And don't forget to leave a review AND take part of my poll that's on my profile. 3**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Spring Break**

_Music was playing from the confines of the car. They were laughing with each other as they sung at the top of their lungs. She pulled up to a red light and stopped. She glanced to her right looking at the long haired boy then turned her eyes back to the road. He had reached out and grabbed her right hand. The light turned green and she proceeded across the intersection._

"_Caci!" Was all she heard as the blinding light took over her vision._

Caci shot up in a cold sweat, holding her chest. She looked at her alarm clock which read 3:16 a.m. She flopped back on her pillow.

'_I'm not going back to sleep anyway_.' She thought as she laid and stared at the ceiling.

Caci had been sleeping in the guest room at her Dad's new place. She was surprised to find out that since she had been gone her parents had gotten a divorce, her Dad moved out of the house and her Mom became a cougar. She was pissed needless to say. No one had felt that them getting a divorce was important information to share with her. And to top things off her Mom's new boy toy was only a year older than Caci was. Caci knew the guy.

'_So much for fairytales of Aaron and Sasha Simon._' She thought to herself. She was still looking at the ceiling blankly as her phone went off. It was a text. She had somehow managed to get her old SIM card out of her old phone and put it into the new one. It was from Tyler.

'_**Are you sleeping**_**?**'  
'_**No.**_' was all she replied.  
'_**Why not?**_'

She debated on whether to answer him or not. He was starting to bug her with all the questions he was asking.

'_**There are just things on my mind.**_' She replied.

Her phone buzzed again.

'_**We're coming to California.**_'

She stared at the screen. Now it was her turn to start asking questions.

'_**For what?**_'  
'Apparently there's been a disturbance in the force.' He replied in code.

Caci knew what it meant. Something was making their powers start itching.

'_**Okay. I hope everything is alright.**_'  
'_**Yeah, me too.**_' Was all he replied.  
'_**Do I need to pick you guys up from the airport?**_'  
'_**Probably. I'll text you with the details.**_'  
'_**Okay.**_'  
'_**Get some rest.**_'  
'_**You too.**_'

* * *

"How was the flight?" Caci asked as the five of them made their way out of San Diego International Airport.

"Coffee first, talk later." Was what Reid grumbled.

Caci had to get up early to make the hour drive to her Mom's house to pick up the Suburban so there would be enough room for all the guys to fit and have enough room for their luggage then drive back to San Diego to go to the airport. You have to be 25 to rent a car in California and while the guys could've used to rent a car they decided against it.

They loaded into the truck, Tyler sitting shotgun. He was clad in a blue v-neck t-shirt, blue jeans and flip flops. Caci couldn't help but notice how the four of them managed to look like a boy band without even trying. They all had on similar outfits except for Pogue had on navy blue cargo shorts.

Caci turned on the radio and headed down the road to the nearest Starbuck's. She wanted to treat them to coffee. Reid gave her a bear hug after they had gotten out of the truck. It was his way of telling her he was thankful that she stopped.

"He has a hangover." Tyler said from the other side of the truck.

"I bet you all have hangovers."

Tyler smirked.

"You guys couldn't even handle a night in Cancun."

"It was two nights, thank you. And you have no idea how hard we party."

"Oh save it east coast. We invented partying all day and all night. And then Vegas stole our thunder." Caci said sassily as she walked into Starbuck's.

Reid and Pogue were deciding what they wanted to drink while Caleb was looking at the food.

Caci walked ahead of Tyler. She was headed towards Caleb. Tyler couldn't help feeling a little bit jealous. He couldn't tell what she was saying to Caleb, but he put the food he had picked up back down.

Tyler kept staring. He had only seen Caci like this once; the last time they had come to California. She had on ripped jean shorts that she made herself, tan moccasins, a white tank top which she purposely wore a black bra underneath, with white sunglasses pushed back on her head. She wasn't wearing much, if any, make-up at all. He didn't know what she had done she he had seen her last, but it was working for her.

"You down for breakfast?" Caci asked Tyler snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah. Where at?" He asked as they joined the rest of the group at a table.

"My Mom's."

"Is your Mom cooking?" He asked mentally debating if he should've declined that offer.

"I don't think so. My Dad's gonna be there." Caci told him knowing what he was thinking.

He nodded slowly.

"You two in?" She asked Pogue and Reid.

They nodded as their drinks were ready. They loaded up the car and made the hour drive back to Carlsbad.

* * *

Caci's Mom's House

Caci parked the SUV on the street in front of her Mom's house making sure not to block the driveway. Her Dad's Camero and her red Jeep were parked in front of the closed garage. Caci and the guys made their way to the front door. Caci rang the doorbell. A woman looking very similar to Caci, opened the door.

"Cace!" The woman said excitedly.

"Hey Mom." Caci said unenthusiastically.

Her Mom grabbed her and pulled her into a hug and Caci couldn't hold back her smile as she hugged her mom back.

"Who are your friends?" She asked as she noticed four very attractive young men behind her daughter.

"I'm Reid, Reid Garwin." Reid spoke up first as he grabbed Caci's Mom's hand and kissed the back of it.

"Sasha. Sasha Cohen." She said back to the blond haired flirt.

"That's enough." Caci said smacking Reid's hand.

"This is Tyler, Caleb and Pogue." Caci said quickly as she pointed to each of them.

"Nice to meet you all." Sasha said to them before she politely excused herself.

"Why didn't you tell us your mom was a MILF?" Reid asked.

Caci looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I don't know Reid… Maybe because she's **MY MOM** and I don't even remotely think about what's going on in her pants **OR** how to get into them." Caci said sarcastically.

"I'm gonna take a guess and say you take after your dad." Reid said smirking.

Caci rolled her eyes as the other 3 just watched them with amused looks on their faces.

"What?" Caci said as she looked at the other guys.

They all shrugged.

Caci left them standing by the door as she walked into the living room.

"The kitchen is through there."

Three pairs of eyes were on Tyler questioning why he was sending them away.

"I need to talk to her in private." Tyler told them lamely.

Caleb narrowed his eyes a little bit, knowing what happened the last time Tyler and Caci were alone and they talked.

"Come on." Caleb said to Pogue and Reid.

Tyler rounded the corner and saw Caci sitting on the couch. She was staring at nothing.

"You alright?"

Her brown eyes barely moved from where she was looking.

"Peachy." She replied flatly.

"Can I ask you something? I'm not trying to start a fight, I'm just curious."

Caci looked at him then.

"Why is this the first time I'm meeting your mom?" He asked as he sat down next to her.

Caci rolled her eyes then took a deep breath.

"I'm not going through this right now." She said as she stood up abruptly.

"Just tell me. I'm a big boy, I can take it." Tyler said from his seat on the couch.

Caci turned around to look at him. She took her sunglasses off of her head so she could run her fingers through her hair. She looked at Tyler intently.

"She had a Botox appointment." Caci said sardonically.

"Dammit Caci!" Tyler got up from his spot on the couch and stood in front of her.

"For once can I get one straight fuckin' answer out of you?" He said almost pleadingly.

He tilted her head up so she was looking at him. She put her hands on his chest as he rested his hands on her hips. He inched his face closer to hers, but just as their lips were about to touch, she pulled away. When Tyler met her eyes, they were icy.

"No." Was all she said before Caleb came in the room.

"Your dad told me to tell you to get your pretty ass in the kitchen so we can eat." Caleb said with a smile before he noticed Tyler's and Caci's faces. Tyler looked defeated. Caci looked pissed.

"Everything alright?" Caleb asked cautiously.

Caci shot Tyler a look and headed towards the kitchen with the guys behind her.

* * *

Aaron Casey Simon was his little girl's heart and soul. She would do anything for her daddy and her daddy would do anything for her.

Caci walked into the kitchen with Pogue, Reid and Lyle Conrad sitting at the table. Her parents were gathered in front of the stove. Her dad was doing the cooking, her mom being the taste tester. For the second she looked at her parents she felt like everything was normal. And in a second she realized so much had changed. Her parents were still her parents, but they weren't married anymore. Lyle Conrad was practically her stepdad and her ex-boyfriend was headed to the table to sit with his 3 best friends. Her train of thought was broken when she heard her Dad laugh.

"Hey Pretty!" His deep voice said happily.

"Hey Big Man!" Caci said as she hugged her dad tightly.

"I've missed you so much." She said into his chest.

"I've missed you too, kiddo." He said as he pulled her away. She was trying not to cry. Her dad gave her a knowing look.

"How about me have this outside? It's a nice day out." He said to everyone. He gave a pointed look to his now ex-wife.

"Sounds good. Can you guys help me with reorganizing some of the patio furniture?" She chimed in taking the hint. There was a round of 'yeahs' and 'sures'. Caci started to make her way outside, but her dad gently grabbed her arm making her stay.

"Talk." Was all he said.

Caci looked down at the floor.

"It's just hard being here after everything."

Her dad was cooking the last of the bacon and working on some eggs.

"The last two times I was in this house, I left with Sean and when I came back it was after his funeral." She finished before her voice could crack.

Aaron fully turned to look at his only child. She was trying her hardest not to break down. Sean wasn't just her boyfriend, he was a best friend since kindergarten. They lost touch having different friends in middle school, but by the time high school started they were inseparable.

"You having those dreams again?"

Caci looked up at her Dad. She couldn't get anything by him. He turned the stove off as the guys came back in the house to grab the platters of food. Caci spun around so they couldn't see her crying.

"I'll be right back." She said as she darted out of the kitchen.

Caci ran up the stairs and into the second door which was her bedroom. She rested her forehead against the door before she turned around to look at her room. Her mom had always threatened to turn it into a home gym, but it was exactly how she left it. Clothes thrown all over the place, dance trophies on the shelf with her ballet shoes hanging from it, tickets, flyers, and posters from shows and concerts she had gone to. Then she saw them. Two shirts neatly folded on the corner of her vanity. One was a plain white t-shirt the other was a black baseball t-shirt with a grey collar and grey sleeves. She ran her hands lightly along the shirts as she saw a strip of photos, from a photo booth, stuck in between the wood frame and the mirror of the vanity. It was of her and Sean. She left everything there and rushed down the stairs and outside completely forgetting that everyone else was enjoying breakfast. She ran to the gate and took off down the sidewalk headed towards the beach.

* * *

"It's been almost 2 hours. How far could she have gotten?" Lyle asked.

"Don't worry, she'll be back." Aaron said positively.

"She always comes back." Sasha added.

Caci had left her phone in the truck when she and the guys got to her Mom's house. No one had any way of getting in touch with her. Everyone except her parents were worried. They sat there quietly until they heard the front door open.

The Sons jumped up to greet her, bombarding her with questions. Only one seemed to matter and it came from an unexpected person.

"What the hell did you run off like that for?" Reid asked as he hugged her.

He freaked Caci out a bit that he was actually concerned.

"I think you guys should sit down for this." She said looking each Son in his eyes as she spoke.


	7. Chapter 7

_It's been a really long, but inspiration finally hit. This is a bit of a filler chapter because I thought it would be too long to add everything that I had planned for this chapter. I'll try to update this more. That is if my muses don't leave me stranded and I don't become more of a hermit than I already am. Anyway, read, review and enjoy._

* * *

**Chapter 7: Budding Friendship**

Caci took a deep breath before she began to speak. She was about to come clean about her past to at least 5 people that had no idea about what she had been through. She had never thought to tell Tyler. Maybe if she had he would've stuck around, but she couldn't let go of Sean.

She looked around the room then decided her feet were a good place to look.

"Three years ago, I was in a car accident." She started, "I went to a show in downtown Carlsbad with my boyfriend, Sean."

She licked her lips, but kept her eyes trained to the floor of the living room.

"It wasn't an odd thing for us to do. We always went to shows whenever there were good bands playing and this night was no different. We went, we had a good time as usual. Then we were headed home. We were in my car, rocking out to some random song. I had stopped at a red light and when my light turned green, I checked before I went across the intersection, but before I knew it we got plowed by a pick-up truck." Her voice was wavering.

"They hit the passenger side of the car and put my car into a spin. Somehow the driver's side ended up crashing into a telephone pole. He tried to get to stop before I went through the intersection, but it was too late. His face and arms and legs were bleeding from the glass. My leg was pinned because of the way the car hit the pole." She was wringing her hands and bouncing her leg. She had gone quiet trying to keep her tears from falling.

No one in the room spoke. Caci stood up abruptly and walked out of the house and down the stairs around the bushes to her jeep. She shoved her key into the ignition and started it up. She put her car in reverse when she saw him standing behind the jeep.

"Move out of the way Reid!" She shouted. He stayed where he was. Frustrated, Caci put the jeep in park and turned the car off. She rested her forehead on the steering wheel. Reid walked around and got in the passenger seat.

Caci had her eyes closed, but the second Reid slammed the door her brown eyes shot open.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Making sure you don't do anything stupid." He answered looking her directly in the eyes.

"I've never done anything stupid. Except..."

"Don't you dare Caci." He said raising his voice some.

"You don't understand…"

"Make me understand then."

She sat back in her seat and looked at him. He was serious. She turned the car back on and pulled out of the driveway. She didn't drive far, just a couple of miles away from her mom's house. She was going to the only place she could ever get some peace; the beach. She parked the jeep and hopped out. She went around the back of the jeep and pulled out a blanket so they wouldn't get sand in their pants. Reid had since gotten out of the jeep and was waiting for her.

They walked silently down the beach. She spread the blanket out and laid down on her back staring up at the sky with her sunglasses on her face. Reid joined her, but he had his eyes closed.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked her.

"Peachy." She said sarcastically.

He stayed quiet.

"No, I'm not okay Reid. I haven't been okay since… I can't even tell you the last time I was okay." She let out a deep breath.

"Since Sean?" He asked.

She looked over at him, but his face was still facing the sky with his eyes closed.

"I guess so. Sean was my best friend. Sean was my first boyfriend, my first kiss, my first date; my first everything. He was perfect in my eyes."

Reid stayed quiet.

"When we started dating, his mom flipped. She said I had changed her son. That I turned him into a drug addict hippie." She laughed bitterly. "Sean wasn't into drugs. Smoking cigarettes and drinking when we went to parties, but that was it. He had let his hair grow out and decided he wanted to start a band. And he did. None of it was because of me though. It was all Sean. He was growing up and she couldn't take it. She hated me for no reason at all."

Reid looked at her then, but stayed quiet.

"And then the car accident happened. It wasn't my fault. The police reports showed that it wasn't. I was in the car with him trying to keep him conscious until the ambulances and fire trucks showed up. I thought he was dead. They got us out and rushed us to the hospital. When I woke up, he was the only thing I was worried about. I didn't care that my leg was broken in 2 places, I didn't care that couldn't get out of the bed. I ripped my iv out and…" She briefly paused, "And my dad had to hold me down. My mom was losing it. I kept asking where he was, but neither of them would answer me. I figured it out on my own. After that, his mom made it her life goal to make our lives a living hell. My mom finally had to a get a restraining order against her. I left right after graduation for the east coast." The tears were falling by the time she finished.

Reid just laid there looking at her. She had just admitted her deepest secret to a complete stranger. She felt as if he was laying there judging her with his icy blue eyes.

"You're alright though Caci. You made it through the other side." He turned over on his side and reached out to wipe away some of her tears that were sliding down the side of her face into her ears.

She stayed quiet.

"Did he have a funeral?" He asked sincerely.

"He did, but his mom didn't want me there. At least I got to tell him I loved him." She said sniffling.

Reid licked his lips and looked at her.

"Where was he buried?" He asked getting interested.

Caci sat up then and looked at him.

"What are you getting at Reid?"

"I'm going to find out the truth for you. There are too many holes in the story." He said nonchalantly.

She was confused. "How are you going to get that kind of information?" She finally asked.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it and get you the closure you need." He said standing up and sticking his hand out for her.

She accepted his hand. "Why are you doing this for me?" She asked as he leaned over and picked up the blanket.

He balled the blanket up and looked at her.

"I honestly have no idea. Just seems like you need it. At least to move on and be happy." He said as he tried to look into her eyes through her sunglasses.

Caci stayed quiet as they walked back to her jeep. They drove back in silence to her mom's house.

Caci stopped outside the door and turned to Reid. "Thank you… For everything." She said as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

Surprisingly, he hugged her back. For whatever reason, he didn't like seeing her the way she was. He was going to find out what he could about Sean and where he was. The whole situation seemed sketchy to him. And it was obviously still affecting Caci. Reid had only considered her a friend because of her past relationship with Tyler. Spending an hour with her at the beach changed that though. He felt for her which was odd for him. He usually didn't give a crap about anyone, but Caci's story hit him hard. He didn't know why. He hadn't been through anything like that himself personally. He just felt himself become very protective of her after she opened up to him. That and he hated seeing any girl cry. Caci was a strong girl, but she wasn't that strong. He was going to do everything in his power to give her the closure that needed, but never got. She deserved that much.


End file.
